Memorial Day weekend is arriving in Beach Haven for the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association. Usually this is the unofficial start of summer, but thanks to the cool water temperatures, the current bite is more of a spring one.
Black sea bass came back in season on Monday, May 19, and summer flounder are legal once again on Friday, May 23. The big catching news however, revolves around the presence of large numbers of bluefish in all sizes.
The bays are filled with schools of 1-3 pound blues racing all over. Little Egg and Beach Haven Inlets have 1-5 pounders. When you get into the ocean, the big choppers can get up to 12 pounds or more.
Pound for pound, there are few fish that can match the fight of a bluefish. Blues less than 5 pounds that have been bled and chilled make for good table fare if eaten fresh.
Captain Gary Dugan of Irish Jig Sportfishing was out looking for striped bass but encountered "blues, blues, and more blues." He reports that he also encountered a couple of dozen big dogfish in the bay. While these are catch and release, big dogfish give a nice fight and often become airborne to add excitement to the fight.
Captain Gary reports that he has not yet given up on the stripers and will also be pursuing black drumfish as well as some fluke.
Additional information on the association can be found at www.BHCFA.com